Cooking appliance



"March 11, 1941. J. R.- IHEILMAN 2,234,596

COOKING APPLIANCE Filed Nov. 30, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR JOSEPH Z fit/mad my v' ATTORN Y March 11, 1941. J. R. HEILMAN 2,234,596

IIIIIIIIIII IIII E v BY %M22 ATTORNE/ IIII NTOR I JOSEPH F. [ii/mad.

Patented Mar. 11, 1941 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COOKING APPLIANCE Joseph R. Heilman, Mansfield, Ohio, assignmto Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application November 30, 1938, Serial No. 243,282 Claims. v (Cl. 53-5) My' invention relates to a cooking appliance, A heating unit 22 is mounted on the rack l5 more particularly to an appliance comprising a adjacent the top of the roaster body, and a shelf receptacle, such as an electric roaster body, a 23 is mounted on the rack below the heating unit rack therein for supporting a shelf on which food for holding articles of food to be broiled by ra- 5 is placed to be broiled, and a heating unit above diant heat from the heating unit. The heating 5 the shelf. unit is provided at one end with hinge brackets An object of my invention is to provide an 20v which are adapted to engage a cross bar 20 improved appliance of the character set forth. secured to the vertical members IS. A handle Another object is to provide means for adjust- 20 is attached to the heating unit at the 0D- ably supporting the broiler shelf at various eleposite end and is adapted to rest on the adjacent 10 vations on the rack and whereby the same may CrOSS b r Accordingly, the heating unit may be inserted and removed through the open top be swung upwardly about the cross bar 20 to of the roaster body or receptacle, and adjusted P v e cce s to t e She f 3- from one position to another, without removing e heating unit 22 y e 0f y Suitable the rack from the roaster body. construction, so far as the present invention is These and other objects are eifected by my concerned, and in the illustrated embodiment it invention as will be apparent from the following O D S a p radiant heating element 24 description and claims taken in accordance with and a 'sheet metal heat reflector 25 above the the accompanying drawings, forming a part of heating element, the heating element and the this application, in which: sheet metal member being detachably connected. 20

Fig. 1 is a perspective veiw, with parts broken The sheet metal member is dished to provide a away, of a cooking appliance constructed in accooking surface 26, which is encompassed by a cordance with my invention; raised or rim portion 21 and which is thus adapt Fig. 2 .is a longitudinal sectional view thereof; 4 ed for frying. A removable heat reflector 28 may i 3 is a fragmentary plan View of the rack be provided below the heating element 24 to ra- 25 structure 2 l diate heat upwardly to the sheet metal member 4 1S Perspectlve View showing how the 25 when the same is used for frying or other heating unit may be swung upwardly and how km h the broiler shelf may be inserted from the top coo g on t 8 member For bromng the re q f th t d flector 28 is removed so that the lower surface 0 0 2 s 22 h (final Sectional View Showing of the sheet metal member 25 serves to reflect 3 how the broiler Shelf may be adjusted. heat from the heating element downwardly, aug- Referrmg to the drawings in detail I Show an menting the heat radiated downwardly onto the electric roaster In comprising an inner casing articles of food on the shelf 23 to broil the same.

5 II and an outer casing l2 arranged with their l-The Shelf 23 1s .Prgfem-bly m he form of a corresponding walls in spaced relation, :a heator grin compnsmg m the Illustrated eming element '3 being provided Onthe inner bodiment, a rectangular frame 29 and transverse mg as shown A removable inset pan '4 may bars 3| soldered thereto. The shelf 23 may also also be provided within the inner casing II. As be referred to as br 011mg or bakmg rack 1 40 will be noted from the drawings, the roaster body the rack may then be referred to as mung I includes bottom, side and end walls and is open rackat th top. A suitable cov t shown) may In accordance with'the present invention, the be provided to constitute a closure for the open Shelf 23 is mounted on the rack at y e Of top, several different heights in a manner which en- A rack I6 is provided Within the roaster body. ables the shelf to be inserted or removed through 5 It includes a rectangular frame member I! and the open top of the roaster l0 without removing transverse bars l8 thereon forming a platform the rack 16 from the roaster. The rack I8 is or grill for supporting articles of food or food provided, at each end, with three cross bars 32 containers to be heated by the electric heating extending between and soldered to the vertical element l3. The rack further comprises pieces members 19. In the illustrated embodiment, the 50 of wire bent to inverted U-shape to provide vershelf 23 is provided with wire elements 33, which tical members l9 and cross bars 2| extending beextend therefrom at each end over the cross bar tween the vertical members H3 at the ends of the 32. At the outer ends, the wire elements 33 are roaster to provide handles or bails for lifting the bent downwardly to provide hooks or projections rack [6 out of the roaster. 34, which are adapted to engage the cross bars 55 may be moved horizontally toward said end wall until the opposite end of the shelf clears the cross bars 32, whereupon said opposite end of the shelf is'free to swing upwardly or downwardly. The intermediate portions of the cross bars 32 are preferably ofiset toward the adjacent end wall to provide increased space for accommodating food containers when the same are used in connection with the heating element l3.

The shelf is manipulated into and out of position at any one of the three different heights, as follows: Assume, for example,.that the shelf 23 is resting on the lowermost cross bar 82 at each end, and that it is desired to move the shelf to the uppermost cross bar at each end. One end of the shelf, for example, the left-hand end, is raised slightly to permit the hook portions or projections 3 to clear the lowermost cross bar 32. The shelf is then moved to the right until the ends of the wire elementsfls at the left-hand end clear the vertical row of cross bars 32. At the right-hand end, such movement is permitted by reason of the spacing of the end portions of the cross bars 32 from the end wall It as described above. The left-hand end of the shelf is swung upwardly a suficient extent for the projections 34 to move over the uppermost cross bar 32. The right-hand end of the shelf is moved upwardly for, the projections ti l to clear the lowermost cross bar 32 whereupon the shelf 231s moved to the left a sumcient extent for the right-hand end of the shelf to clear the cross bars 32. The wire elements 33 at the left-hand end are brought to rest on the upperit is retained from sliding off these cross bars by the projections 3 1.

To-remove the shelf 23 from the roaster, one end thereof, for example, the left-hand end, is moved upwardly until the projections 86 clear the cross bar 32 on which the wire elements 39 have been resting. It is then moved to the right in the same manner as described above, until the ends of the wire elements clear the vertical row of cross bars 32. The left-hand end of the I shelf is thenswung upwardly until it clears the cross bar it, whereupon the right-hand end is lifted sufiiciently for the projections 36 to clear the cross bar on-which the same had been resting. The shelf 23 is then moved upwardly and to the left, longitudinally of the shelf, out of the roaster.

To insert the shelf 23, it is moved diagonally, one end, for example, theright-hand end, being inserted immediately above the cross bar on which it is to rest. The left-hand endis then swung downwardly to a point whichis above the cross bar on which it is to rest, the shelf is then moved to the left and the left-hand end is then moved down until it rests on the cross bar.

From the above description it willbe seen that I have provided a structure whereby the aasasee shelf may be inserted and removed through the open top of the roaster, and may also be ad- Justed from one position to another, without removing the rack from the roaster.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited but is susceptible of various.changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and-I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a cooking appliance, the combination of a receptacle having an open top, a removable rack in said receptacle having four corner posts and horizontal bars extending between and attached to the adjacent corner posts at different heights on opposite sides of the rack, and a shelf having members extending horizontally over and resting on said bars for" supporting the shelf thereon, the end portions of said, members being bent downwardly to retain the shelf against horizontal movement, the projections on one side of the shelf being adapted to be moved toward.

the adjacent side of the receptacle a sufiicient extent to permit the opposite side of the shelf to be swung upwardly clear of the horizontal v the receptacle without removal of the rack.

2. In a cooking appliance, a rack adapted to be removably disposed in an open top receptacle and comprising four corner posts and horizontal bars extending between and attached to the adjacent corner posts on opposite sides of the rack, and a removable shelf adapted to rest on said bars on opposite sides of the rack, said shelf having downwardly-extending projections engaging with said bars to prevent horizontal movement of the shelf when it is positioned on said bars, said shelf being adapted to be moved horizontally toward one of said sides of the rack, when the projections restraining such movement are lifted to clear the associated bar, a sufiicient extent for the shelf to clear the opposite side of the rack so that it may be swung upwardly for removal through the open top of the receptacle without removing the rack from the receptacle.

3. In a cooking appliance, the combination of a receptacle having an open top, a removable rack in said receptacle having four corner posts and horizontal bars extending between and attached to the corner posts on opposite sides of the rack at different heights, and a shelf having members extending horizontally over and resting on said bars for supporting the shelf thereon, said members, having downwardly-extending projections at their ends adapted to engage said bars for retaining the shelf thereon against horizontal movement, the rackand the shelf being constructed and arranged so that, upon raising the projections on one side of the shelf to clear the adjacent bar, said shelf may be moved horizontally toward the opposite side of the shelf sufficiently for the projections on said one side to be swung upwardly clear of the bars on said one side to permit removal of the shelf through the open top of the receptacle withoutremoving the rack from the receptacle. v

heights engaging cooperating portions of said shelf for supporting said shelf thereon, the cooperating portions of the shelf being adapted to slide horizontally on the shelf support portions, certain of the portions at each side of the rack having vertically extending projections adapted to engage the cooperating portions to limit the horizontal movement of the shelf, the cooperating portions at one-side of the shelf permitting suflicient horizontal movement of the shelf so that, when the opposite side of the shelf is raised to clear the vertical projections, said opposite side of the shelf maycbe swung vertically clear of the adjacent shelf support portions.

5. In a cooking appliance or the like, the combination of a receptacle having upstanding walls encompassing the interior of the receptacle and having an open top, a removable shelf for use within said receptacle, and shelf supportmembers disposed in said receptacle at different heights for supporting said shelf thereon at different heights, said shelf and said shelf support members being formed, at one side of said receptacle, with interlocking portions, including vertically extending portions, constructed and arranged to interlock and restrain horizontal movement of the shelf whenlt is in normal position resting on said shelf support members and adapted to disengage and permit horizontal movement of the shelf upon raising the shelf from said normal position at said one side; said shelf, said shelf support members and said receptacle being formed so that, when said shelf is so raised at said one side and said shelf support members remain stationary, said shelf may be moved horizontally a sufiicient distance tt permit one side of the shelf to be swung vertically clear of the adjacent shelf support members, whereby the shelf may be adjusted from one height to another and inserted in and removed from the receptacle through the open top without removing the shelf support members fro said receptacle.

' JOSEPH R. HEILMAN. 

